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The Columbine High School Massacre

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Columbine High School Massacre and How it Impacted Public Security

“Do you believe in God?” This was the last thing Rachel Scott, a recently born-again Christian, had heard before telling Eric Harris yes and then being shot to death at point blank range. This quote is from the infamous Columbine High School mass shooting in Littleton, Colorado. This incident caused much outrage and questioning from many parents and students about the safety of their well-being while in school. The concerns quickly leaked into the minds of US citizens, as nobody felt safe anywhere in public after the tragedy. The shootings caused mass hysteria and caused the nation to become more concerned about security. Even though it was a terrible tragedy and there is …show more content…

Before Columbine there was never much want or need for major school security. Students could often come and go as they pleased without having to answer to an officer or teacher, and threats by students weren’t taken seriously. Most schools had no officers on duty and only a handful of security cameras around the school. They didn’t have regular lockdown drills for emergencies, and they were not prepared for such a tragedy. Before Columbine nobody would have though two upper-middle class children could actually commit such a heinous and random act such as slaughtering their classmates without remorse. Immediately after the incident almost every school in the nation had several officers on patrol in their halls. They changed the security cameras to where they could see every crevice of the school, including the parking lots. As technology continues to advance the nation utilizes the new gadgets and and electronics to have one of the best security systems in the world. Unfortunately no matter how advanced the nation’s security is there is always someone somewhere that is two steps ahead of everybody …show more content…

The national news broadcasters interrupted all television programming in order to inform the nation of the tragic events that took place at approximately 11:19 that morning. On the news they displayed images of everything from blood splattered sidewalks in front of the school to grieving families and friends mourning the loss of their loved ones. The media was unknowingly desensitizing their viewers to tragedy, due to the fact that they would not be forced to witness so many traumatized and pained faces at one time again until some years

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